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AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Original Filed Oct. 23, 1945 1B Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor Feb. 2l, 1956 G, T, RANDOL Re. 24,122

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AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Original Filed Oct. 23. 1945 1B Sheets-Sheet 8 Inventor G. T. RANDOL Feb. 2l, 1956 AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION 1B Sheets-Sheet 9 Original Filed Oct. 23

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AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Original Filed Oct. 23, 1945 18 Sheets-Sheet 1l Memor Feb. 2l, 1956 T. RANDQL Re. 24,122

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AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION original Filed oct. 2:, 1945 1e sheets-sheet 1s nlrentor Feb. 2l, 1956 s. T. RANDOL AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION 18 Sheets-Sheet 14 Original Filed Oct. 25. 1945 Q r v "/lnventor Feb 21, 1956 G. T. RANDOL AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION original Filed oct. 25. 194s 18 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 Feb. 21, 1956 G. T. RANDOL AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE Original Filed Oct. 23, 1945 -RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION 18 Sheets-Sheet 16 Feb. 21, 1956 G, Tb RANDOL Re. 24,122

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AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Original Filed Oct. 25. 1945 18 Sheets-Sheet 18 f I l I United States Patent O AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Glenn T. Randol, Mountain Lake Park, Md.

Original No. 2,644,559, dated July 7, 1953, Serial'No. 624,042, October 23, 1945. Application for reissue November 6, 1953, Serial No. 390,771

264 Claims. (Cl. 192-.073)

Matter enclosed in heavy brackets [l appears in the original patent but forms no part of this reissue specification; matter printed in italics indicates the additions made hy reissue.

This invention relates to automotive power trains of the change-speed positive drive type, and more particularly to improvements in the change-speed drive mechanism and associated control means to effect speed drive changes therein, whereby minimum effort and attention are required of the operator in eiciently regulating the transmission of torque and speed from the power source to the driving wheels of an automobile and the like.

Thus, the present invention particularly relates to improvements in a vehicular power-drive mechanism and system including a torque producing internal-combustion engine having coupling means for transmitting the torque to a change-speed transmission operable upon the removal of torque load therefrom to establish a plurality of modulatorv forward speed drives and a reverse drive, together with operating means for removing the torque load from the coupling means.

The variable-gear ratio means and associated controls above referred to constitute improvements related to and associated with the power drive control system disclosed in my prior U. S. application, originally tiled July 28, 1941, under Serial No. 404,295, and for which a continuing application was filed November 6, 1944, bearing Serial No. 562,075, now Patent No. 2,604,963, dated July 29, 1952. In this prior torque-transmitting system comprising three forward positive-drive speeds and an oppositely directional speed with the low speed forward drive power-operated in part, the automatic speed changes are inaugurated by the positive meshing of the lowest speed gears by movement of a manually-operated shifting lever from one predetermined position to another; whereupon ensuing automatic de-meshing of the low speed gears and up-shift sequential gear ratio changing into the highest speed may be accomplished automatically, at the discretion of the operator, without disturbing the second predetermined position of said shifting lever. Thereafter, automatic change of gear ratio is restricted between the next lower speed and the highest speed, so that if the operator desires to revert to the lowest speed, the shifting lever must be returned to the first predetermined position and then reset to the second position, following which, automatic speed changes from the lowest to the highest speed may again occur as aforesaid. Furthermore, all of such automatic speed changes are attended by conventional pedally-operated declutching for temporarily removing the torque load from the gearing while such speed changes are being elTected automatically or while meshing the lowest speed drive by operating the manually-shiftable lever as aforesaid.

A further novel feature saliently incorporated in my prior torque-transmitting system and mechanism, and which the present invention seeks to improve, is the provision of a third predetermined position setting for the manually-operated shifting lever whereby, when so positioned upon movement thereof from the aforementioned one predetermined position, the drive operativeness of ICC the low speed drive only is effected; whereupon, movement of said shifting lever to the aforesaid second predetermined position causes power-transition from low speed to intermediate speed drive, and thence to high speed drive in accordance with correlative operations of a speed drive governing means and a pedally-controlled member, said high speed and intermediate speed drives being alternately power-activatable and inactivatable upon the establishment of high speed drive, in response to operating the pedally-controlled member with the governor means predeterminately operated and without further movement or action of the said shifting lever being required.

Thus, the present invention provides novel combi/zations in three-speed forward drive control responsive to the manual selections indicated below, and to governor speeds and accelerator positions including the low speed selectively actvatable and mzctivatable at will:

(a) Low position setting of the manual selector for controlling low speed drive only at the will of the operator;

(b) Low range setting of the manual selector for conditioning automatic up and downshifting between low speed and intermediate speed drives responsive lo governor speeds and accelerator positions, and further providing a downshift from intermediate speed into low speed drive responsive to full depression of the accelerator; and

(c) High range setting of the manual selector for conditioning up and downshifiing between low, ntermediate und high speed drives responsive to governor speeds and pedal contro-l, or automatic upshifting only from low, to intermediate and to high speed drive responsive to governor speeds und accelerator positions, and further providing automatic down and upshifting between high speed and low speed drives responsive to governor speeds and accelerator positions and including a forced-downshift from high speed to intermediate speed drive or to low speed drive responsive to full depression of the accelerator with the governor speeds adjusted to dierent speed ranges of the vehicle, or a forced-downshft from high speed into intermediate speed drive responsive to manual selector movement from high range setting to low range setting.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide novel change-speed drive mechanism actuatable by Huid-pressure controlled servo-mechanism for activating and inactivating at least three forward speed drives in up and down-shifting sequence according to operator control, said servo-mechanism including preenergized modulatory spring means for effecting certain hifting phases of the drive mechanism controlled there- A more specific object related to the object immediately preceding is to associate with said drive mechanism novel control means including control valving for supplying luid under pressure to the servo-mechanism to actuate the same, said control valving being operable to correlated uid controlling positions to cause the servomechanism to actuate the drive mechanism to selectively establish the three aforesaid speed drives in response to a governor device operative proportionally to vehicular speeds, and predetermined correlative movements of the engine accelerator and a manually-controlled drive sclector means provided with optional drive controlling positions whereby a selected one or a selected plurality of said speed drives may be employed for vehicular propulsion.

A further important object related to the two objects next above, is to produce novel variable-ratio power transmission mechanism and control means therefor controllable in part by a movable manual selector provided with optional ratio control positions whereby movement of the selector to one of its positions enables power operation of said low speed to activate and inactivate the same in response to movement of said selector into either of its other positions including subsequent use of said one position.

A still further important object related to the object next above is to produce in change-speed transmissions having a low speed forward drive controlled by a manual selector initially movable to a predetermined position for establishing the same to enable power-operation of said drive upon subsequent movements of said selector from and to said predetermined position.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in an automotive vehicle including an accelerator controlled internal-combustion engine having an inlet-manifold and a governor device operated proportionally to vehicular speeds, power means for operating a three-speeds forward drive transmission, said power means including manifold produced vacuum and a pre-energized modulatory spring means operable, when the transmission is established in low speed setting, to establish the transmission in its second speed setting upon manifold vacuum increase by closing the throttle to idle the engine; whereupon. alternate establishing of low speed and second speed may be accomplished by operation of said power means in response to a predetermined vehicular speed operation of said governor device and a closing of the throttle to idle the engine. respectively.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in an automotive vehicle including an internal-combustion engine having an inlet-manifold, a throttle associated with said manifold controlled by an accelerator, and a novel three-speeds forward and reverse drive transmission which includes gear sets having synchronizing mechanism for producing a two-directional drive in each of the aforesaid speeds, power means for operating the forward speeds of said transmission, the operation of said power means being controlled by combined governor and manually operated valve means, pre-energized modulatory spring means, a selective shift-control valve means, and by vacuum produced in the inlet-manifold by operation of the engine, the vacuum production being controlled by the accelerator.

An object related to the object next above is the provision of novel mechanism for operating the selective shiftcontrol valve means in response to fully releasing or fully depressing the accelerator to cause the said power means to operate upon operating said combined valve means to open position whereby the low speed setting is inactivated and a higher speed setting activated in response to operation of the governor with the accelerator fully released to idle the engine, said low speed setting being reactivated in response to closure of said combined valve means by operation of the governor at a predetermined vehicular speed with the accelerator operated into engine idling position.

A further object related to the two objects immediately preceding is to provide novel mechanism operable manually to overrule said governor operation of the combined valve at will to cause said power means to reactivate low speed drive setting of the transmission in response to operation of said modulatory spring means, said mechanism being controlled manually to enable the governor to operate the combined valve means in response to vehicular speeds and independently of said manual control.

A further important novel feature of the present invention resides in the aforementioned selective and operating mechanism for the shift-control valve means which is operable to ditferent selective operative positions to cause the power means to control the transmission according to operator control in part, and wherein the selection of the different speed positions is controlled by the established speed setting for the next speed setting; that is, if low speed is established, operation of said valve is selected to cause second speed setting to be established by the power means when next operated; whereupon, high speed setting is selected and upon operating said valve the power means will establish high speed and select second speed setting, etc.

Among other important objects of the present invention is the provision of a change-speed drive transmission in which a shift-lever, upon movement to a single operative setting, causes the establishment of the lowest speed of a series of modulatory forward two-directional drives and simultaneously conditions transmission actuating means for subsequent automatic up-shifting and down-shifting through the entire drive range without disturbing the aforementioned operative setting of the shift-lever.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an improved vehicular drive system including a power train operable to establish a plurality of modulatory drives, including a lowest speed which remains enmeshed despite the establishment of higher speeds but which is merely rendered ineffective as a drive at the higher speeds to facilitate rendering the lowest speed effective as a drive when the higher speeds are disestablished.

It is still another important object to provide an improved vehicular drive system having an accelerator mechanism and including a torque-producing power source having coupling means for transmitting torque to a changespeed power train having means for establishing a plurality of modulatory drives upon the removal of torque load therefrom, power means controlled by the accelerator mechanism for actuating said coupling means to remove and reimpose torque load, and means for preventing the removal of torque under normal operation of the accelerator mechanism.

The present invention further seeks, among other objects, to improve my prior motor vehicle power drive system in a novel and patentable manner by eliminating the said foot-declutching operations and substituting therefor automatically-operable means, whereby the torque load on the gearing may be interrupted during gear changing by the means effecting the change.

A further improvement is concerned with the elimination of the necessity for manually effecting or restoring the twoway positive drive through the lowest speed by substituting automatically-operable means, whereby after meshing the low speed gears under manual control, as previously stated, said gears continue to operate in the aforesaid meshed condition but ineffective to transmit torque therethrough during automatic up-shifting from the lowest to the highest forward speeds, and vice versa; and wherein said positive two-way drive through said low speed gears may be restored automatically without disturbing the meshed condition thereof.

Thus, a further object is to provide an improved variable-speed transmission wherein a positive drive from the engine to the vehicle driving wheels is effective for all speed drives of the transmision; namely, reverse, low, intermediate, and high speed drives, notwithstanding a gear of the lowest speed drive overruns inoperatively in its meshed condition when either intermediate or high speed drive is established.

A further object is to provide, in a variable-speed transmission and control means therefor, a slidable combined low and reverse gear assembly adapted to be positively connected with its shaft when it is desired to obtain low and reverse speeds and thus accommodate two-way positive drive in both speeds, and which will be effectively disconnected from its shaft by an overrunning clutch so that the combined gear can remain in its meshed low speed position to overrun idly when higher forward speeds of the transmission are operative.

Among the further objects of the present invention is to produce a change-speed transmission in which two-way drives are provided by drive-mechanism or connections, for example, enmeshable gear sets, for establishing at least three forward speeds and one reverse speed, so that 

